Today’s briefing by SAPS in the Western Cape Provincial Parliament saw the organisation admit that chronic under-resourcing and staff shortages have brought policing to its knees in the Western Cape. SAPS representatives described the number of officers to under 20 000 – an amount that their presenters themselves described as “way below” what is necessary to combat crime in the province. SAPS was present in the provincial legislature to brief the Standing Committee on Community Safety on its .
Three provinces in South Africa - Eastern Cape, Western Cape and Northern Cape - have been plagued by the largest brown locust swarms in decades. And because of heavy rains, the locust outbreak shows no signs of stopping.